Every once in a while, a new technology, an old problem, and a

Hear the wise and practical words of Dean Kamen, inventor and dreamer of bold machines, who declared: “Every once in a while, a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea turn into an innovation.” These words, though simple in form, contain within them the great mystery of progress: that human destiny advances not in a straight line, but at rare and powerful moments when time, need, and vision converge. Such moments are not common—they are the sparks that light the torches of new eras.

For every age has carried with it old problems—hunger, disease, ignorance, distance, toil. These problems endure because they are woven deep into the human condition. Yet when the world births a new technology, and when the mind of man kindles a great idea, the old problem is not merely endured—it is conquered. Thus arises true innovation, the kind that reshapes nations, lifts burdens, and alters the course of history.

Consider the tale of Gutenberg and his printing press. The old problem was clear: knowledge, bound in hand-copied manuscripts, was scarce, costly, and hoarded by the few. The new technology was movable type, and the great idea was to make books as plentiful as bread. Out of this fusion came an innovation that shattered ignorance, spread learning to the masses, and gave birth to revolutions of faith, science, and politics. A simple press became the herald of a new world.

So too in the modern age did Kamen himself seek to follow this path. He looked upon the old problem of mobility for the disabled, and he paired it with the technologies of balance and motion. Out of it arose the Segway and later advanced prosthetics—machines that gave back freedom to those bound by limitations. Here, too, we see his own words fulfilled: where a pressing human need meets a tool of the age and the daring imagination of an inventor, there blooms an innovation that transforms lives.

Yet Kamen’s insight is also a reminder of patience and humility. Not every new technology becomes an innovation. The world is filled with inventions that dazzled for a moment but solved nothing lasting. True innovation requires more: it requires a heart that sees human suffering, an eye that recognizes timeless problems, and a mind that dares to imagine boldly. Without this marriage of empathy and imagination, technology is but noise, and ideas are but dreams that vanish in the wind.

The meaning of the saying is therefore both heroic and hopeful. It tells us that progress is not an accident, nor is it guaranteed. It is the fruit of rare alignments—when the tool, the need, and the vision meet. But it also tells us that anyone, anywhere, may stand at such a crossroads. The farmer, the teacher, the doctor, the builder—any who see clearly the old burdens of life and dare to combine them with new tools and bold ideas may birth the next great change.

The lesson is plain: do not despise old problems, for they are the proving ground of innovation. Do not ignore new technologies, for they are the raw materials of transformation. And above all, cultivate great ideas—for it is imagination that turns iron into wings, glass into windows of knowledge, and code into bridges across the world. When next you see a burden weighing on humanity, ask yourself: what tool, what vision, might meet this need? In your answer may lie the spark of the future.

Thus the voice of Dean Kamen rings like an oracle across the age of invention: “Every once in a while, a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea turn into an innovation.” Let us heed it not as mere observation, but as invitation—to be watchful, to be daring, to be compassionate, and to be bold. For in the weaving together of tools, needs, and ideas, you too may become a builder of the new world.